That is the question. I'm a relatively skinny guy, 6'1 180. Not a bean pole by any stretch but still far from big. Anyway I'm one of those unlucky skinny guys that has some flab on my abs and it pisses me off. I also want to get bigger though. So which should I worry about first, trying to lose the flab and then bulking, or bulk first then work on the flab?

That is the question. I'm a relatively skinny guy, 6'1 180. Not a bean pole by any stretch but still far from big. Anyway I'm one of those unlucky skinny guys that has some flab on my abs and it pisses me off. I also want to get bigger though. So which should I worry about first, trying to lose the flab and then bulking, or bulk first then work on the flab?
Generally when cutting (losing fat) you'll lose a little bit of muscle, or stay even if you do it really well. When bulking people tend to gain fat as well as muscle. I'm sure you can see the cut/bulk/cut/bulk/cut/bulk cycle beginning :)

Personally, I have some flab and some muscle. I'm more interested in losing the flab first. That way when I start trying to pack on the muscle, I can see it! I've tried it the other way around, and while I might have been stronger (higher reps, higher weight, etc.) I couldn't see the difference. That had a larger psychological effect on me than I expected.

My $0.02 -- cut, then bulk.

I have fallen victim to this this past fall and winter. I have been an endurance athlete for about three and half years. I used to race in duatholons, and mountain bike racing. This past summer I spent no less than two hours on the bike three days a week and sometimes up to five hours on the bike. At the end of the summer I took my bodyfat %. IT WAS 22%. I had literally eaten my own muscle and had gained fat. I wasn't eating clean all the time and was drinking a bottle of wine about two times a week with my wife. I was sooooo pissed that I got back into bodybuilding again after taking a five year leave. I was doing great until the holidays and then decided to "bulk up". I started taking Swole V2 and begain having about 2500-3000cal a day 80% clean cals. I took my body fat January 2 and I gained 11 pounds and stayed at 22% Now I WAS REALLY PISSED. ON January 24th I found John's website and have totally gone back to shredding the fat off of my body. To some this up, I really believe that if you keep yourself lean <10% you will be happy and don't waste your time thinking that bulking means eating more clean calories and worrying about BF% later. It often is very dissapointing. I say try to keep lean all the time. tanks